SUMS sponsors MADE entrepreneurship event

— 31.08.15

by Simon Spode

Sheffield City Hall

Sheffield University Management School will once again be a main event sponsor for this year’s MADE: Entrepreneur Festival in Sheffield.

MADE is the UK’s premier business entrepreneurship event. This October it returns for its 5th year, and has educated and inspired tens of thousands of business owners & budding entrepreneurs since its inception.

Delegates have the opportunity to hear inspirational stories from successful entrepreneurs who have “been there, done that.” These ‘How I MADE it’ journeys feature presentations from nationally recognised entrepreneurs and successful business owners from across the UK, and from sectors including; manufacturing & engineering, retail, food & drink and digital & creative.

This year’s speakers include;

Kevin Byrne, founder and CEO of Checkatrade.com, which provides access to trusted, vetted and monitored tradespeople to stem the tide of rogue traders. He has built his Selsey-based company up from scratch to one with a turnover in excess of £13.4m.

Petra Wetzel, founder and CEO, West Beer. In 2008 Wetzel opened WEST Brewery, Bar & Restaurant in Glasgow, a German style brewery producing beers to traditional German Purity Laws. Now in 2015, Wetzel has opened a second bar and restaurant, and is planning a new brewery which will increase brewing capacity 10-fold.

Former JLS band member, JB Gill who left the celebrity lifestyle behind for the world of farming. Two years on and the farm he owns and manages goes from strength to strength.

Sheffield City HallThe MADE festival will also feature a range of skills development masterclasses giving delegates the skills and knowledge to help launch and grow their business.

Ian Proctor, head of external relations at the Management School explains why MADE is important to both the city region and the university.

“As the city region recovers from the global financial crisis, its future growth will be dependant as much on the entrepreneurs creating and growing new businesses as it will on our larger established businesses.

“The MADE Festival is an important part of this as it both inspires and offers guidance to those with new business ideas and those that have already begun to build their own businesses, whilst also allowing them to network with like-minded individuals and support organisations.

“At the Management School we are helping produce the next generation of business owners and managers, and it is important that our students understand the entrepreneurial spirit and traits shown at MADE, whether they eventually run their own businesses or become managers in others businesses.”

The MADE Festival takes place on and around the 22nd October 2015 at the Sheffield City Hall. For more information see the MADE Festival website.